Before God uses the man, God breaks the man.
~Charles Spurgeon
And the LORD heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And He said, “Hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and He departed.
~ G_d, showing His ways to Aaron and Miriam, in Numbers 12
Oh beloved, it is true.
We are so afraid to believe it. We, humans, were Designed by our Creator to have intimate – and even verbal contact with our Creator. And, it has happened more often than we think. The problem is that we think its just not possible.
This last week, this fool of a writer went for a third trip to the 天坛 (Tiāntán), or Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. We have the privilege of serving Him in this convoluted and amazing country. We have come to love much of what we see, and be troubled by even more.
But… there is something that is astounding about this supposedly atheist country. It is drenched in religious overtones. It flows with a sense that G_d is real and that He is active in the affairs of men – even today.
The Temple of Heaven is a particularly amazing place on the planet. It is laid out across thousands of metres. And, it is obvious that somehow, some way, Judeo-Christian thinking is the basis for the sacrificial system and modes of worship that were followed. This kind of stuff is an amazing study. Many Chinese characters even tell Biblical stories, or transmit deep theological truths. And, Chinese New Year appears to be a takeoff from Passover (even the time of year).
But again… back to G_d, The King of Heaven speaking to us.
This week, we were delayed in getting up to the actual rotunda that is 天坛。 They were somewhat boggling problems and little delays. But G_d…
As one comes to the Temple Mount, if one has any spiritual sensitivity whatsoever, one realizes that this place is special. The signs placed by the government seem to try to downplay the importance and make it simply a historical site. But, it is much more.
The temple has three doors. One was for the emperor’s exclusive use. One was for the administrators who might be invited to the meeting. And the third door? It was consecrated for a very special use: Only The King of Heaven could walk through that door and into the Temple’s meeting area. Now, if one looks inside the temple, one sees that it is a place for conversation between royalty.
Can we see it?
The ancient Chinese kings did. They understood that to run such a vast empire, they needed the wisdom of the King of Heaven. And, it was at this point that I understood something about why we had been delayed.
A man was visiting the temple with his young son. And, though my Mandarin abilities are pretty weak, I can understand some of what is being said around me. And this moment was perfect. The father said to his son, “天王是上帝“ （Tiānwáng shì shàngdì). And while this phrase can mean different things in different contexts, the meaning was clear in that place.
“The King of Heaven is G_d.”
It was just eternally amazing to hear this spoken out loud, in a country that works very hard to say that there is no G_d. But, in that place, the father was explaining to his son that the way that China used to work was that G_d would come and speak to the emperors of China when they invited Him to come. He would give them the wisdom required to run the country.
Now, I have no proof that this occurred. But, what I do have is a personal relationship with the One who would have spoken to those ancient kings. He was, is, and will be willing to speak to anyone who earnestly calls on Him for help. And His Word says that He will give wisdom to anyone who asks for it.
It was quite a day. Top 50 moment in a life that has been drenched in amazing moments.
So, are you feeling like G_d is not talking to you? Maybe we need to quit thinking we know so much, and stop putting a veil over our own abilities. Maybe we should be a bit more like the ancient royal, Moses. Or maybe we should be a bit more like the later emperors of China: Meek enough to realize that they truly, and dearly needed the advice of The King of Heaven to get where they needed to go.
Tonight is your night. Time to have a conversation with Him.
God is not looking for brilliant men, is not depending upon eloquent men, is not shut up to the use of talented men in sending His gospel out in the world. God is looking for broken men who have judged themselves in the light of the cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to the end of themselves, whose confidence is not in themselves, but in God.
~Henry Ironside
